We
have only been in this small community for 5 days but already we seem to be
settling in to the rhythm of life. Some might think we are a little slow but
just yesterday we discovered that although we are on the doorstep of Samtegang
Primary School we actually live in the village of Lekokha.
On
arrival it was immediately obvious that we would need to be visiting the larger
township of Bajo, 20 kilometres away if we needed even the most basic of
supplies. Madam Nancy’s parting words as we departed Thimphu were, “Make sure
you get vegetables in Wangdue.” This was confirmation of the fact that we
thought there would be no local Sabji Bazaar (vegetable market) However 2 trips
to Bajo in the first 4 days has ensured that we have just about everything we
could desire well and truly in stock and that our enormous house is already
starting to feel like home.
Just
as well too as now all 4 of the tiny general stores we saw as we dropped our possessions
in the house on day one, have been demolished! The land is to be returned to
the primary school, we are told, and to my current knowledge the small shop on
the middle school campus and the one directly below us might just be it for local
shopping opportunities.
For
a small community there certainly seems to be a lot going on and we are in no
danger of becoming bored. On Friday we were invited to join the villagers who
were diligently winding up a 3-day celebration that had been taking place in my
school. Via this first walk through the crowded hall with Ian’s principal we
instantly became known to the locals and have since been enthusiastically
greeted by passersby on every outing.
On
Sunday we were setting about the pressing business of constructing simple clothes
racks from the hardware supplies we had bought the day before when we were
given advance warning of the imminent visit of a local monk. He wandered in and
murmured prayers while pouring holy water from a brass vessel onto the floor, in
each room of our new abode and then departed to do the same in each of the
other apartments. As he scampered off down the ladder stairs, we dutifully made
a donation and decided to take a look at the process of blessing a new house.
Cypress branches were being burnt in the yard and pungent smoke wafted over the
house, while prayers and offerings were being conducted in the altar room of
the upstairs apartment adjoining ours.
It was at this point we discovered how much bigger our place seems to be
than any of the other 3 apartments in this new building. My western sense of
design had expected them all to be mirror images of each other and identical in
size.
By
mid afternoon the racks were constructed and our suitcases emptied. After over
8 months on the road this was really a total joy. We cannot exactly claim that
there is “a place for everything and everything is in its place” but we do feel
we are home now. All that remained was to warm up via a brisk walk to the
enchanting little village we can clearly see from our balcony.
By
far the oldest and hugest rammed earth structures I have ever seen in Bhutan or
any where else for that matter greeted us as we strolled towards Gelekha and
once we had arrived it was even more gratifying to see so many of the local residents
pitching in together to construct a new building in that very same style.
In
fact there are many new, rammed earth homes being constructed within sight of
our home and we can only assume that this is the best season to get the work
done. With both the drier weather and the reduced demands of the fields, it
would make sense that winter is the time for construction. Some young lads were
curious enough about us to strike up a conversation and we took the opportunity
to ask them about the name of the town and the various local sights and trails
we could see thus discovering that we in fact live in Lekokha and that the path
we hadn’t taken would lead us to the village of Samtengang.
Today
we both headed off towards our schools feeling a lot better prepared than we
had on that first day in Rangjung in 2011 and our previous experience and prior
knowledge served us well. I was not in the slightest bit surprised to find that
not another teacher was in sight as I approached my school and I was equally
unperturbed by the waiting around in the sun until proceedings got underway.
Although I was somewhat amazed to discover that we had covered the business of
the day and were set free for the afternoon.
The
session began with calling for volunteers for various roles, responsibilities
and tasks and yet again I was the first to volunteer, having already decided
that I wanted to be a class teacher. When given the choice of which class I
would take I let the HOD (Head of Department) decide, stipulating that I wanted
to teach whatever class I was allocated. I am sure I will soon come to know
Class VIIIC and I won’t regret that decision. Before we broke for lunch teaching
loads had been allocated and club coordinators decided. Yet again I put up my
hand for table tennis and it seems there will be several of us in this role!
Although I couldn’t be more pleased with what I have been given I am also very
aware that many changes are likely to occur before this is actually final.
In
a bid to warm up before the sun set, we set off to discover the real Samtengang
this afternoon. It too is a village of impressive and enormous rammed earth
buildings and it gave us birds’ eye views over the valleys and across the
mountains to both our schools and much of Nyisho Gewog (sub district) and the
neighbouring area. Once again a local resident who was more than happy to
stroll along with us and explain the history and folklore of the area, greeted
us as we approached the settlement. In fact he turned out to be a NFE (Non
Formal Education) teacher which explains his excellent English and vast local knowledge,
despite hailing from Paro.
To
end our afternoon stroll we revisited each of our schools together and
discovered the Nyisho Community Information Centre. This small building almost
opposite my school offers photocopying, laminating and Internet services. With
a bit of luck and a fair wind we may well be able to avail of the latter to
attempt to post this blog tomorrow! Good news indeed if it works, as it is
unlikely that the service in our home will improve in the foreseeable future.
Wow!
We seemed to have achieved so much in such a short space of time.
